Mastery
by stars90
Summary: AU from Unova league. 4 years after being betrayed by many of his friends following a significant loss, Ash is competing in the 1st ever tournament to crown a Pokemon Master. But as Ash and company battle, something else is with them. What is it that is going so wrong, and what connection does it have to a mysterious incident during those missing years of his life?
1. Chapter 1

Ash Ketchum stood on a wooden porch watching a field full of dozens of pokemon, taking a deep breath in an attempt to center himself. The news he'd received earlier that day still had him rather unsettled, and he wasn't quite sure just how to react. He did have to smile though, as he felt the one thing capable of cheering him up coming up behind him.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Ash couldn't have stopped himself from smiling if he'd wanted to. She just had that kind of effect on him.

"Not sure they're worth that much, to be perfectly honest."

She just punched his arm as she settled into position behind him, wrapping her arms around his body.

"They are to me."

Ash closed his eyes in contentment. That was just one of the things he loved about her; what he thought and felt mattered to her, was vital to her.

"I was just thinking… about what it's going to be like, you know?"

"Seeing them again?"

"Yeah."

Not for the first time, or even the hundredth in the past 4 years, she cursed those… _people_… who'd done this to such a special person as Ash Ketchum. She still remembered that day… that 1 day which had changed everything….

_Ash Ketchum walked out of the stadium, his shoulders telling the tale of his disappointment. For the fifth time he had tried and failed to take on a regional league championship. This time was worse as he had lost earlier than ever before, and as if that wasn't bad enough, it was to his rival, an arrogant Unovian named Trip. _

_Ash wasn't sure what he was doing wrong. He and his pokemon had worked so long and so hard. For it to end like this…. Ash was finding it quite a struggle to keep up his usual can-do attitude._

"_Ash!"_

_And of course, it had to be right in front of all of his friends who had come to see him compete. He turned around to see them all, not really knowing what to say, just hoping for one of them to be able to find something to say that would make him feel better._

"_How- how are you?"_

_Ash gave a grim half-smile. "I'll be fine, Brock. Thanks."_

_For a moment there was silence. Then…._

"_So… what are you planning to do now?" asked Cilan._

"_I'm going to take a little bit of time, then I'm going to go and try out for a new region. I'm down, but I refuse to let this mean I'm out!"_

"_Pika Pika!" came the affirmation from his most trusted, ever-present companion._

"_Are you sure that's such a good idea?" asked Tracey._

_Ash frowned. "What do you mean?"_

"_Well, Ash" piped in Brock, "it may not necessarily be such a great idea for you to charge off to another region straight away."_

"_Why?"_

"_Oh come on Ash," Misty interjected, obviously exasperated. "This is your fifth league challenge, and you've dropped way down! What do you expect is going to be different next time?"_

_Ash recoiled at this, stung. "I-I'll try harder next time, we'll train more-"_

"_You say that every time, Ash!" came the response from May. "What's going to be different about this one?"_

"_Your training with your Unova pokemon isn't even as good as when you were in Hoenn!" Max added. "What does that tell you?"_

"_You can't stay a little kid forever, Ash," came the volley from Iris. "When are you going to let up and admit that being a pokemon trainer just isn't for you?"_

_Ash flinched as though he'd been punched in the face. He stood there for a moment, his eyes tearing up, before he turned and fled into the wooded area outside the stadium._

_Brock turned to the others, about to open his mouth, when someone beat him to it, in a rather different way._

_SLAP!_

_The echo of Dawn's hand across Iris's face reverberated throughout the area._

"_How could you say that to him?! He's always tried harder, done his best to correct his mistakes! One time not going as well as the last one doesn't mean he should just give up! I'd slap the rest of you, but I don't have time!" Dawn finished shouting before turning and running in the direction Ash had gone._

"_Piplup PipLUP!," shouted Dawn's starter before running after her._

_Dawn raced through the forest, searching desperately for Ash, the mantra of disbelief repeating in her mind the whole time._

'I can't believe they did that to him! They're supposed to be his friends, his family! How could they do this, especially now of all times?!'

_Dawn slowed down as she heard the sound of crying coming from her left. Making her way through the trees, she came onto a heart wrenching sight. Ash was curled up on the ground, leaning against a tree, sobbing into his arms, Pikachu at his side trying desperately but in vain to comfort him._

_Noticing the newcomers, Pikachu turned to them, his face morphing from desperate sympathy to utter fury._

"_Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed a challenge, his cheeks sparking._

_Dawn held out her hands in the universal gesture of 'I come in peace.'_

"_I don't agree with them Pikachu, I'm on your side. If you want evidence, you can go look for the handprint on Iris's face."_

_Pikachu studied her warily for a moment before letting out a soft "Cha…" and backing down. Dawn approached the broken trainer slowly trying to come up with something to say to comfort him._

"_Ash?" she spoke softly as she slid down next to him._

_Ash flinched at the sound of her voice, cracking Dawn's heart right down the middle. He looked up, his eyes wary, obviously expecting her arrival to herald more pain._

"_I'm so sorry, Ash. I had no idea they were going to say that. I don't know why they would-"_

"_It's obvious, isn't it? I'm pathetic. I've been told it before, but I never thought it would come from them. I guess it's time to face reality."_

"_CHUU."_

_Ash let out a yell as Pikachu's Thunderbolt crashed over him. After a few moments to recover, Ash turned angrily to the yellow mouse. "What was that for, Pikachu?!"_

_Pikachu just gave Ash a scolding expression while pointing one finger at Dawn._

"_Okay," Ash breathed out as he turned to look at Dawn, who wore the same scolding expression as Pikachu. "What are you turning my own Pokemon against me for?"_

"_I don't want to ever hear you talking like that again Ash Ketchum! You are not pathetic! Okay you haven't won yet. Do you think Cynthia or Lance won their first time, even their first few times? The important part is that you're learning from each experience, from your mistakes. And yes, you do make some mistakes again, but that's the nature of the process. It'd be incredible if we could learn the instant we made a mistake to never make it again, but it's not that simple. It takes time, and sometimes it requires repeating a mistake until you really learn it fully. But you have the one thing that is most important to have consistently- the attitude to get back up and keep going when something knocks you down. And nobody can take that away from you. You taught me that when I felt like I was losing my drive, you helped me hold onto my passion and for that I'll always be so grateful. And for whatever it's worth, I believe in you, and I always will."_

_Ash opened his mouth to reply, but had anything occurred to him to say it would never have made its way past the lump in his throat. Instead he just stared into her cerulean eyes, full of comfort and passion, wondering if he could look hard enough or long enough into their depths that he would never have to come out again. As fate would have it, he didn't quite get the chance._

"_Well said."_

_The two teens jumped, startled by the sudden voice, and turned to see a young man emerging from the bushes. He was about five and a half feet tall and had an open, friendly face, but Ash could see lines running along his face incongruous with his apparent age of early to mid-thirties. Ash recognized that pattern. He'd seen those lines in the mirror from time to time, although his age had worked to ensure the lines hadn't stayed permanently. The lines he would expect from someone who was no stranger to danger. Ash had no recollection of ever having met this man before, although there was something about him that he found familiar._

"_I'm sorry for sneaking up on you like that, but I'd been looking for you since I saw what happened by the stadium."_

"_Who are you?" asked Dawn._

"_My name is Sam Mosely."_

_The name sparked something in Ash, explaining why he thought he might be familiar. "Mosely? Are you related to Bill?"_

_Sam chuckled. "You're quick. Yeah, Bill's my brother. He told me all about the young trainer he met at the lighthouse. The two of us have been following your career. I have to say, I'm impressed. You've accomplished some amazing things working with such a handicap."_

_Frowns made their presence known on all of the listeners. "Handicap?" asked Ash._

_Sam walked over and sat down next to Ash on the ground opposite from where Dawn was. "Ash, do you remember when you were in that accident when you were eight?"_

"_Yeah, why?"_

"_Wait, what accident?" came Dawn's question._

"_When I was eight years old I was playing on a tree swing near the lake in Pallet town and fell off. I was in a coma for a month. Gave my mother a terrible scare. But the doctors said that in the end I was fine?"_

"_Yes, but that's not what I was talking about. You missed the last two years of your pre-trainer education."_

"_Yeah, once I finally got out of the hospital I'd missed half that year and into the next one, so my mom just homeschooled me."_

_Sam shook his head. "Ash, the education system is designed to prepare trainers with all they need to know for their journey. Especially in the later years, you learn a lot of vital training information in multiple classes. Even if your mother was a league champion with all the expertise needed she wouldn't have been able to teach you all you needed to know by herself. Not that quickly. You've been operating as a trainer for 5 years without only ¼ of the education trainers get, and you've still done exceptionally."_

_Ash turned beet red. "Not that good…."_

"_Ash you've made it to the top 4 in a regional tournament! You've faced and beaten legendary pokemon. You've saved the world! (yes I know about that) You've had an incredible journey. I'd like to make you an offer."_

"_What kind of offer?"_

"_I'm what's called a Pokemon Tactical Operations Officer. I'm considered an expert in Pokemon strategy. I'd like to fill in some of the gaps you're missing."_

_Ash gave a fish out of water impression. "Wh- Why?"_

"_Because what's happened to you isn't fair. Because you've proven yourself deserving. And because I could use the help."_

"_Help?"_

"_Ash, there are bad, terrible people in the world. People who use Pokemon for horrendous schemes. You know this. You have a knack for stumbling on them. I'm one of those people who work against them, and quite frankly, there aren't enough. I think you have the potential to do extraordinary things. I want to help you. What do you say?"_

_Ash stared at Sam for a long moment, thinking hard. Finally he came to a decision. He turned to Dawn for a moment, then turned back. _

"_Do you have room for two?"_

"You guys ready to go?"

Sam's voice startled Dawn out of her recollection. She turned to see Sam coming toward them, his face expectant and understanding. She turned to see Ash looking at him as well, and awaited his answer. Ash simply turned to look into her eyes yet again, and steeled himself, his eyes taking on that spark of life she'd always loved.

"For the first time in history, they've come up with a way to actually crown someone with the title of Pokemon master, instead of it just being a fictional title of what everyone was aiming for. I've dreamed of this day for so many years. I was born ready!"

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ash, Dawn, and Sam entered the Pokemon Center, having arrived at the Indigo Plateau on their respective Flying types only moments ago. Heads turned as the three walked in; the tall, muscled man in black T-shirt and jeans on the left flank, the beautiful blunette in jean vest and pink skirt on the right flank, and the lanky, average height but well-toned young man in the jeans and the strange attention-catching blue vest with matching cap and shoulder-mounted Pikachu in the lead.

The Nurse Joy behind the counter perked up as the threesome approached. "Can I help you?"

"Hi, we're here to register for the Mastery Cup?"

"Of course, can I just have your pokedexes for reference?"

Ash and Dawn reached into their pockets and brought out their Dexes, handing them across the counter to the nurse.

"Thank you, and you sir?" she asked, looking over at Sam.

"Oh, I'm not competing, I'm here as one of the expert VIPs."

"Oh," the nurse replied, startled, "well I'll just get you situated first and…"

"No that's alright, I'm traveling with them. I can wait."

"Alright then," the nurse replied, clearly confused but apparently deciding to just go with it. Let's see now, Ms. Dawn Berlitz? Which side of the tournament did you want to register for?"

"The contests, thank you."

"Ah, yes, that makes sense from this record. And Mr. Ketchum, I'm guessing you're going for the battle title?"

"That's right."

"Very well then. You're all set. Here are room assignments for the three of you. Enjoy your stay and good luck in the tournament."

"Thanks," Ash replied distractedly. He'd sensed a reaction nearby when Nurse Joy had mentioned his name. Now he had the distinct feeling he was being watched. With Dawn and Sam on his heels he walked away from the desk and out of the center, communicating with Pikachu silently all the way.

"_We're being watched."_

"_Who?"_

"_It's coming from above. Feels like a pokemon, but it definitely reacted when Nurse Joy mentioned my name."_

"_Want me to fry it?"_

"_Just give it a mild shock to let it know we know it's watching. 8 O'clock about 20 feet up."_

Pikachu started sparking on Ash's shoulder before leaping into the air and letting loose.

"CHU!"

The bolt of electricity streaked forward striking the purple form which had been hovering and leaving it slightly dazed.

"Cro- Cro-"

"A Crobat?" Sam asked, seeing Pikachu's target.

"Wait a minute, I know this Crobat. This is-"

"Ash!"

Ash turned at the voice to see a young man in in a green and orange vest running up, stopping several meters away as Ash brought a cold glare to bare on him, Pikachu sparking his cheeks again.

"What do you want, Brock?"

"Ash wait, please, let me explain."

The temptation to let loose some of his anger was huge, but Dawn's hand on his arm stopped him.

"_You can sense it Ash. There's something important he wants to explain, and he has no hostile intentions. Maybe we should hear him out."_

Ash let out a breath through his nose and folded his arms together over his chest.

"You've got five minutes, Brock."

Brock looked both relieved and grateful, though whether that was for Ash granting him the time or for his words slowing the sparks dancing across Pikachu's red cheeks nobody could tell.

"Ash, I'm so sorry about what happened all those years ago. I had no idea the others were planning on doing that to you."

"And yet you were the one who questioned my decision to go to another region!"

"To go right away! I was trying to say you might want to take some time with your other pokemon first, train them and spend some time with them, because I thought that might be part of the problem you were having! I would have said something then, but I was shocked by what happened. I went looking for you, but I didn't find you. I've kept an ear out for you ever since, but the most I've ever heard were whispers."

Ash narrowed his eyes channeling his senses to read Brock's aura, but seeing no deception on his part. Ash's eyes drifted closed, feeling a keen sense of relief. Of all of his old friends, Brock's betrayal had been one of the worst. Ash had traveled with him so long, been through so much with him. He'd looked up to him like a big brother. To find out that he hadn't actually meant to betray him, that he'd been trying to give him advice that he'd learned himself later was correct, meant so much to him.

"I believe you, Brock." He said softly.

The look of sheer relief positively lit up Brock's face. Ash could see that his old friend had been plagued by that question.

"Thank you, Ash. Thank you so much. I don't know why you'd be able to believe me after everything, but I'm grateful for it all the same.

Ash gave him a grin. "I believe you Brocko, because I can see you're telling the truth."

Brock grinned at the old nickname, but looked puzzled when Ash finished the sentence. "What do you mean Ash?"

"You remember Riley, the aura guardian, not to mention our little rollercoaster ride at the Tree of Beginning?"

"There are much much easier things to forget."

That drew snickers from the rest of the group. "Yes, I suppose there are. Anyway, we met up with Riley again. With some help from him and some of our pokemon, you're looking at the two newest members of the Order of Aura Guardians." Ash finished with a gesture to Dawn.

Brock looked stunned. "R-Really? Both of you have the ability to use aura? The odds of that have to be…"

"Nonexistent." Dawn cut him off with a grin. "I didn't have the ability naturally. But some aura guardians can help someone who is tremendously close to them find the ability."

Brock's face broke into a grin. "And by close you mean…"

Ash and Dawn grinned at each other and held up their hands, the matching gleams coming from their ring fingers unmistakable.

"You guys are married!"

"Engaged. We haven't even set a date yet, we've been a little busy since the proposal…."

"But," Dawn cut her fiancé off, grabbing his still-raised arm and pulling him around to face her, we'll get to that very soon."

"Too right we will," Ash said with a grin as he gazed at Dawn with a beatific, semi-glazed look on his face.

"Don't mind them, they've been like this since the proposal. If they keep it up too long Pikachu will shock 'em. Sam Mosely." Sam stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

Brock was startled by the name. "Mosely? THE Sam Mosely? The famous Pokemon strategist?"

"No, I just share his name, face, and pokemon. But I'm better looking than that other one."

"You'll have to excuse him," Ash said, coming out of his stupor with Dawn. "His sense of humor is a little bit warped." Sam replied to this with a punch to the shoulder.

"So those rumors of you having a protégé, they were true? And it was Ash?"

"Not exactly." Sam replied. "Why don't you come with us to get something to eat and we'll explain."

Brock looked at the other to who grinned and nodded.

"Sounds good to us," Dawn replied. "Besides we want to hear how you've been and what you're doing here. Doesn't really strike me as your cup of tea."

"Oh, you'll find out why I'm here tonight at the opening ceremony."

Ash and Dawn stood together in an immense crowd, watching as fireworks exploded in the night sky. They'd enjoyed their day with Brock, who described the process he'd had to undergo to achieve his position as a Pokemon doctor. But now they were here for the opening ceremony, where the actual tournament itself would be described. Ash, Dawn, and everyone else in the huge crowd looked up as the voice of the announcer sounded across the stadium.

"Good evening everyone. Welcome to the first Pokemon Mastery Cup Tournament! Here to describe exactly how this tournament will work is Pokemon League President Charles Goodshow!"

The familiar diminutive figure got up on the podium at the front of the crowd and began to speak.

"Welcome! Now, many of you have heard the term Pokemon Master in the past, but there has been no meaning to it. There are trainers, elites, champions, but the actual moniker of being the best of the best hasn't been given out because there has been no way to determine it. Well the Pokemon league has spent the last several years hard at work developing this competition, and we are quite satisfied with the results. Here's how it works:

The competitors are divided into 2 segments for the 2 types of professional pokemon competition, pokemon battles and pokemon contests. However, there will be a great deal of crossover between the two to demonstrate the skills and interaction of both trainer and pokemon

The preliminary rounds will be just traditional Pokemon battling, but it will not have any competitors battling each other. Instead, the competitors will square off against Pokemon league officials who are ineligible for the tournament. The champions are all competing in the tournament, but gym leaders and elite four members with specific type specialties were deemed ineligible. After all, a Pokemon master would have to be someone who has mastered dealing with Pokemon of every type, not just one. But those ineligible members will be battling you in the preliminaries to determine who will advance to the next round. I warn you though! Unlike in a regular gym battle, the gym leaders' goal is not to help you grow as a trainer, but to knock you out. They will therefore come at you with everything they've got! In addition, which official the trainer will battle, and what kind of battle they will have, and what battlefield they are competing on, are chosen at random. The trainers will find themselves confronted with situations which will force them to compensate on their toes and deal with less than ideal circumstances with little or no warning.

After 3 rounds of this type of battling we move into the 2nd stage, where the trainers will find themselves in similar battle circumstances, only pitted against the other competitors.

The exact nature of each battle will be provided to the trainers precisely 30 minutes before the beginning of the battle, so they may select their pokemon within the criteria established for them.

I look forward to seeing the myriad of skilled trainers and welcoming our new master trainer and coordinator.

Let the tournament begin!"

A huge cheer rent the air with the end of Goodshow's speech.

Ash and Dawn looked at each other, the fire in each other's eyes unmistakable. They were here to take this tournament by storm. They would be going home with those titles. In their hearts, they knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for those who were expecting a new chapter. But I wanted to make some changes to this one based on some advice I got. I'd originally planned to do this later in the story, but decided to put it here instead. All of the changes are at the end.**

**Thank you for those that have reviewed! I appreciate and acknowledge those who've suggested this is not an original idea, but I am trying to take it new directions, which I think is something which will start becoming more apparent this chapter. And no, Ash is not a Jedi. As we will see soon, there are serious limitations to what his aura powers can do.**

Ash, Dawn, Sam, and Brock strode into the pokemon center the next morning. The first set of matches would begin soon and Ash and Dawn had to get the information for their battles. However, they ran into an unwelcome surprise when they entered. Piplup, who had been resting in his pokeball the day before after an intense training session, was the first to notice. The little penguin walking next to his trainer's left leg narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of the person who had spotted them.

"_Dawn, Ash. Trouble, 10 O'clock."_

Dawn and Ash turned, both being able to understand an unexpected comment from each other's as well as sometimes Sam's pokemon after having been together so long and having been through quite a lot. To understand another pokemon would take a decent degree of focus on Ash's or Dawn's part. The two trainers pursed their lips at the trio heading for them.

"Dawn! You here for the tournament too?" asked May.

Dawn's eyes narrowed at the overly enthusiastic welcome. "Yeah, and so is Ash."

The bright look on May's face fell into pity at Dawn's pronouncement. "Oh, Ash. I'd hoped you had come to your senses since you haven't been in any tournaments all these years."

Ash rolled his eyes. "No such luck."

"Ash, how long are you going to keep this up?" asked Drew. "You took a shot at something. You didn't make it. It's not the end of the world. But if you just keep going on and on, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment."

"Maybe," Ash replied evenly, keeping his temper in check as he never could have done 4 years earlier. "But I won't quit. I may not have succeeded at first, but if being a Pokemon master was easy, it wouldn't mean as much. I've gotten much better, and if nothing else that proves that I can improve."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself, Ash," cut in Max. "Maybe it'll be easier I knock you out of this tournament."

Ash smirked. "You're welcome try." And with that he strode off, his friends in his wake.

"Wow," Brock muttered to Sam. "Ash really has changed. The guy I knew would've blown his top at all that."

Sam gave a sad smile. "Yeah, well Ash, heck all of us have been through a lot together these past 4 years. He's been forced to confront a lot of the darkness in his own soul. That kind of thing changes people, especially their tempers."

Brock stared at him curiously. The group had told him several amusing anecdotes last night but nothing major. He understood it wasn't an easy transition for them from thinking of him as a betrayer to a friend, so he wasn't offended. Sam noticed his curiosity but said nothing else as the group came up to the board. Brock put aside his curiosity for the moment. He already knew where he was battling, and who his opponent was didn't matter all that much to someone on his side of the battlefield. But Ash and Dawn needed to find out who they were battling, where, and with what restrictions.

"There you are Ash!" exclaimed Sam, pointing to the top left corner of the huge screen where he spotted Ash's battle information. "Your one-on-one is against Goldenrod gym leader Whitney in Stadium C. You may not use a Pokemon with a type advantage."

"Whitney, huh?" mused Ash. "Been a while. I know exactly who to use for this battle."

"There's you information, Dawn." Brock exclaimed after another minute or so of looking. After scrutinizing the information for a moment he grinned. "You're up against an old friend. Remember Maylene?"

Dawn smiled at the thought of the gym leader she had grown close to. "Sure do. This should be fun. Ooh, looks like need to come to Stadium E with a type disadvantage. Ok. My choice is pretty easy."

Having their information, the three friends made a brief stop at the pokeball transfer machine since Ash didn't have the pokemon he wanted with him (Sam's brother Bill had set up a system at the ranch so Ash just needed to call up and tell the pokemon who needed to come. Said pokemon could then get into it's pokeball on a special shelf which would then be moved to the transporter and sent over). After taking the ball, Ash and Dawn turned to look at each other.

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Dawn." With that Ash turned to walk away.

"Hey, Ketchum? Don't you have something you want to say to me?" Dawn breathed out, scowling.

Ash turned back to her, his face set in a clueless expression, which Brock for one would have believed had he not seen the mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Aren't you going to wish me luck?"

Ash made an 'Ah' face before replying. "No, I don't think so."

"And just why not?" asked the fuming Bluenette.

Ash smirked. "Look around at all these trainers, Dawn. Don't you think it'd be nice to save the luck for those poor fools who need it?"

Dawn's scowl fell away, replaced by an amused smirk of her own. "Good answer Mr. Ketchum." With that she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips before pulling back.

Both trainers turned away from each other to lock eyes with Sam. The three held their gazes for a moment before both trainers turned and walked off in opposite directions, headed for their battles.

Brock looked on in astonishment. He had felt the unspoken things that passed between the three, although he didn't understand them. Sam hadn't been kidding before when he said they'd been through a lot together, and he couldn't help the flaring of his curiosity once more. Brock snapped out of his daze as he felt Sam grip his arm and point to the clock. Realizing his battle would begin in 15 minutes, Brock sped off.

'_They're entitled to their secrets. Besides, maybe they'll just tell me later.'_

* * *

Ash walked through the large doorway and out onto the plain dirt battlefield, Pikachu at his side as always. He could see the blond form of the Goldenrod City gym leader coming out the doors on the other side and smiled.

"Well, this is it, buddy. Here it begins."

"_Time to kick some serious butt." _His starter replied.

Ash chuckled just as he heard Whitney call out to him.

"Long time no see, Ash."

"You're looking well, Whitney. I'm surprised you still remember me. It's been a long time."

Whitney gave a short laugh. "You were definitely one of my more memorable challengers, Ash."

Their conversation was interrupted by the voice of the announcer on the loudspeaker.

"**Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to this 1****st**** round battle of the Mastery cup! Our tournament contestant is a previously rising star, though his appearances have been sporadic for about four years now, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!."**

The crowd let out a cheer.

"**His opposition, long-time leader of the Goldenrod City gym, Whitney!"**

More cheers erupted briefly before the referee began to speak.

"This will be a 1-on-1 pokemon battle. As determined by random computer selection, Mr. Ketchum will be unable to use a pokemon possessing a type advantage. The battle will end when either pokemon is unable to continue. Battle begin!"

"Well Ash, I think my choice should be pretty familiar to you," said Whitney with a smile as she raised a pokeball.

"Miltank, let's go!"

Whitney threw the ball into the air. It popped open and a brilliant white light exploded out of it, shooting out onto the battlefield before coalescing into a pink and white cow.

Ash smirked. "I figured you'd use Miltank, Whitney. That's why I brought someone who should be familiar to you too," Ash paused for a moment, pulling his own red and white ball from his belt. And throwing it. The white light shot out of the ball, taking shape as Ash called out,"

"Typhlosion, I choose you!"

The volcano pokemon took stock of his opponent and narrowed his eyes, letting the flames on his back burst into life.

"_Oh yeah! I'm finally gonna get another crack at the cow that tossed me around like a sack of potatoes!"_

Ash, being the only person who could understand, smiled at the fire type's enthusiasm. Typhlosion may have been unusually meek for a fire type, but he still had his pride.

"_We'll see, little firecracker." _Smirked Miltank

At this point, Ash knew, the meek nature of this particular pokemon of his came in handy. Typhlosion was one of the few pokemon who would not need much effort not to lose his temper at a crack like that.

Whitney smiled to herself seeing Ash's choice.

'_Classic Ash choice. Using a pokemon previously beaten twice by my Miltank, giving it the opportunity to reclaim its pride. But that doesn't mean this is anything to laugh at. He was just a Cyndaquil back then, and that was over 9 years ago.'_

"Alright, Miltank, you may have beaten this guy before, but that was long ago, so stay alert. Use Rollout!"

Miltank leapt forward, tucking all 4 of her legs together until she was curled into a ball and landed rolling, spinning faster and faster toward the Johto starter in its path.

Ash was unfazed, the smirk not leaving his face.

"Typhlosion, dig the front half of your body into the ground, keep the back half out!"

Typhlosion began digging furiously with his front paws, sending dirt flying until the top of half of his body was level with the ground, the rest sticking up. Whitney was startled for a moment by the tactic before her eyes widened, recognizing the danger.

"Miltank pull away quick!"

Too late. Miltank rolled straight onto Typhlosion's head and down, or in this case, up his body, the curve of his elongated form serving as a ramp. As the Milk Cow Pokemon reached the edge of the 'ramp', Ash called out swiftly,

"Double kick, now!"

Typhlosion flung his back legs up, throwing Miltank sky high with impressive strength, before a second kick smacked into the airborne cow, doing a decent amount of damage as a super-effective move and shifting its trajectory slightly more back in the direction it had just come from. Without the ground underneath it, Miltank's roll ran out of steam, leaving her suspended in midair for a split-second, looking straight down at her opponent.

"Now, Typhlosion, use Eruption!"

"Ty-Phlo-SHION!"

A searing beam of fire blasted out from Typhlosion's back, shooting straight upward and catching the hapless pokemon right in the stomach. For several seconds Miltank was carried higher and higher by the beam crashing into her gut, before the attack ended. Miltank's ascent gradually lost speed until finally there wasn't enough left to overcome gravity. Miltank plummeted back down towards the earth, Typhlosion simply taking 3 nonchalant steps back before the cow came crashing down on the ground where his head had been not 2 seconds earlier, clearly knocked out.

"_Cows CAN fly! Who knew?"_

Ash and Pikachu both chuckled at the comment as the ref examined Miltank.

"Miltank is unable to battle! The winner is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

The crowd lay there stunned for a moment before bursting into loud cheering. A powerful gym leader had just been swept aside in less than 10 seconds!

"**AMAZING! Ash Ketchum has defeated Whitney in an impressive 9.6 seconds! What else can we expect from this up and coming trainer?"**

Ash and Whitney each recalled their fallen pokemon with murmured words of thanks and strode forward to shake hands.

"Well, Ash. I don't recall ever getting beaten quite that badly before. You've grown tremendously! I look forward to seeing what else you come up with!"

Ash gave a friendly smile. "Thanks, Whitney!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Dawn was locked in a battle of her own. She had said a brief hello to her old friend Maylene before the battle got underway, and now Lopunny was shifting around the battlefield with the flowing grace of an expert dancer, avoiding strike after strike from Maylene's Lucario.

Maylene grimaced. '_That rabbit is just too maneuverable. Time to change things up.'_

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

Lucario stopped trying to catch the nimble bunny and formed a blue sphere of energy in his hands. Dawn knew it would be impossible to dodge, so her only choice was to counter it.

"Lopunny, block it with Hidden Power."

Lopunny spun out of her cartwheel toward Lucario and formed a green sphere of her own. The two energy bolts met in midair and exploded.

Maylene frowned. _'What is she up to? Is she trying to wait for Lucario to run out of steam? She should know better! Oh well, I guess I'll have to make this a painful lesson.'_

"Lucario, Close Combat!"

Lucario leaped high into the air before coming back down, heading straight for his prey.

Dawn smirked at the move. _'Perfect.'_

"Dodge, and Ice Beam the landing!"

Maylene started at the command. "What?"

Lopunny jumped backward while forming a white energy stream in her mouth. As she came toward the ground she spat the Ice Beam at the Earth which had been under her feet a moment before, forming a patch of ice.

"Lucario, Force Palm the ice-"

Too late. There weren't a great many Pokemon which could maintain their balance landing on a patch of slippery ice. As it happened, this Lucario was one of them, but it would need at least a couple of seconds of advance warning. Lucario's legs hit the ground but found no traction, and started sliding back and forth as he tried desperately to right himself. Dawn however, had no intention of giving him the opportunity.

"Lopunny! Quick Attack into rapid Fire Punch!"

Lopunny surrounded herself in a white aura and shot forward at unbelievable speed, smashing one of her flame-tipped ears into Lucario's chest pushing him back and off the ice. Lopunny jumped over the ice patch after it, following up her attack with the other ear. Twice more she pummeled the jackal, who was taking a large amount of damage from the repeated super-effective attacks and in too much pain to defend itself in such a short window of time.

"Finish with Jump Kick!" Dawn called out.

Lopunny bent slightly and leapt into a backflip, one leg catching Lucario's jaw on the way. This last attack proved too much for the fighting type, which was propelled up into the air to come to a rest on the ground, unmoving.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Lopunny is the winner!"

Over the enthusiastic applause of the crowd, the announcer shouted, "**And it's over! Dawn's Lopunny has defeated Maylene's Lucario without taking a single hit!**"

Dawn and Maylene walked up and shook hands after recalling their pokemon, both beaming.

"That was a great battle, Dawn! You've grown by leaps and bounds! I haven't gotten a thrashing like that in a good long time!"

"Thanks, Maylene! You and Lucario were terrific."

The two friends walked together to the Pokemon center, making light conversation. Maylene was ecstatic to hear about Ash's and Dawn's engagement, delivering the appropriate amount of gushing over her friend's ring. As the two walked through the sliding doors of the building, Dawn immediately spotted Ash standing near the counter with Sam, who had been watching his battle. Dawn ran up to her fiancé and threw her arms around his neck, giving him a peck on the lips.

"So can I take it from your enthusiastic greeting that you also won?" asked Ash with his trademark bright grin.

"You may." Dawn responded, responding with a grin of her own.

Ash raised his hand up in the air. Dawn took one of her arms out from behind his neck to complete their traditional high five.

"I told you wouldn't need luck," Ash said, right before wincing as he spotted the woman standing behind Dawn. "No offense, Maylene."

"None taken, Ash. As her fiancé you're supposed to say things like that, and frankly, considering how well she trounced me, I have to say I hear where you're coming from. Congratulations on that, by the way."

"Thanks." Ash responded, his grin returning at the turn the conversation had taken.

"So, you lovebirds going to introduce me to your friend?" Maylene asked, noting Sam's proximity to the couple.

"Oh! Sorry, where are our manners?" Dawn replied.

"Probably up in Cupid's cloud, right alongside your heads." Sam snarked, only to get a slap on the arm from the Bluenette.

"Hush you. Sam this is Maylene, leader of the Veilstone gym. Maylene, this is Sam Mosely."

Maylene gasped. "Sam Mosely?! The famous Pokemon Tactician?"

Sam gave a modest shrug. "Well I don't know about famous, but the other parts you've got right."

"B-but you are famous! You're one of if not the most noted expert on Pokemon battle tactics today. Oh!" Maylene gasped, as if realizing something. "There were rumor that you'd taken on two protégés! They were Ash and Dawn?"

Sam chuckled. "Not exactly. You see at the beginning I had believed that would be the kind of relationship I'd have with the two of them. However, after a little time, I realized all they needed was a little help filling in some gaps and they could easily surpass me. They're my partners."

"That explains a thing or two," said Brock, walking up to the group from behind Maylene. After exchanging greetings with the fighting-type gym leader Brock continued. "I had been wondering why you were here but not participating in the tournament."

"Yeah," Sam chuckled. "These days most of my Pokemon will run screaming if Pikachu or, heaven forbid, Charizard want to spar."

Noting Maylene's confusion at the mention of a Pokemon whose presence in the group she wasn't familiar with, Ash invited Maylene to lunch with the group where he promised he would tell her a little about his fearsome Charizard. So Ash, Dawn, Brock and Maylene handed over their Pokemon to Nurse Joy and the five friends left to get a table.

About half an hour after they finished their lunch, the matchups for the next round were posted on the board. Ash was feeling quite excited by the prospect of battling Lt. Surge with a type disadvantage when he heard a small mutter of "Oooooh Boy…" from Sam followed by what he could only describe as a mental smirk from Dawn. Turning to see what had caught their attention he had to agree with his friends's assessment.

Dawn's three on three matchup was against Iris.

**Please Please Please Review! Also, I'm putting up a poll about whether or not I should give Ash's battle against Lt. Surge or just say what happened. Please vote!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Wanted to let you know I've made some changes to the end of Ch. 3. I'm not sure everyone got the message.**

Ash stepped out into the middle of the battlefield after wishing his fiancé luck in her upcoming battle to see the well-muscled, hardened soldier he'd first met 9 years earlier.

"Well, if it isn't the kid with the Pikachu!" boomed Surge with his huffing laugh. "I saw him in a video of your battle with Whitney. All these years and that Pikachu of yours still hasn't evolved! Mighty stubborn, that one is! How've you been kid?"

Ash smiled gently at the slightly overbearing yet friendly enough ex-soldier. "Well enough, Surge. You?"

"Eh, the life of a gym leader can be boring from time to time, but it has its perks."

"Will the battlers please take their places?" called the ref.

"Good luck out there, kid. You're gonna need it!"

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." Ash matched Surge's smirk with one of his own.

Surge threw his head back and let out a booming laugh. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, kid!"

As the two trainers took their places on opposite sides of the battlefield, the announcer began to speak.

"**Ladies and Gentlemen! Have we got a treat for you today! In this preliminary round battle, we find the Vermillion City gym leader Lt. Surge as league representative! Challenging him will be Ash Ketchum! This trainer recently returned from an apparent hiatus to dominate his match earlier today against Goldenrod gym leader, Whitney! Will he be able to do the same facing off with a type disadvantage?"**

Over the roaring of the crowd the ref called for Surge to release his 1st Pokemon.

"Magnezone, on the field!" boomed Surge.

In a bright flash the giant floating saucer with Magnets for hands appeared.

Ash smirked, tossing out his own pokeball.

"Staraptor, I choose you!"

"_Alright! Finally some action!"_

Ash snickered slightly at his proud bird's battling spirit.

"_Listen, guys, I want to finish this quickly so I can maybe get to see some of Dawn's battle with Iris." _Ash communicated to all of the Pokemon he had on him through his aura.

"_Dawn's battling Iris? Holy mother of…. I suppose that's where Pikachu is, watching with Sam? Well, as long as I get to see it too I'll win you this battle fast enough to make Swellow's head spin."_

Ash barely held in the laugh that wanted to bubble up at the indignant noise coming from Swellow's aura, from where he lay waiting in one of the other pokeballs on Ash's belt. _"You've got a deal."_

"Battle begin!"

* * *

Dawn stood just outside the stadium, getting ready to walk through the doors. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves threatening to flare up once again.

"_Hey Dawn, don't be like that! Remember what Ash and Sam said?"_

Dawn smiled at Piplup's reminder, thinking back on Ash's goodbye to her before leaving for his own battle.

**Flashback**

_Dawn, Ash, and Sam were walking out of the Pokemon Center on their way to the two battles._

"_Man, am I glad I watched Ash's battle first! Now I can just go watch Dawn's without having to feel guilty. This is one battle I do NOT want to miss." Said Sam with a chuckle._

_Ash and Dawn laughed as well, but Dawn's laugh rang slightly hollow. Her two companions shared a look before turning to look at the bluenette on the group's right flank._

"_Dawn, is everything okay?" asked Ash._

"_Of course! No need to worry!" Dawn replied, trying to give Ash her bright grin, but Ash could feel her anxiety through their aura connection, and Sam knew her well enough to see through her façade._

"_Ok, wanna try that one again?" Ash shouted down her protest to continue. "Dawn, Do I need to remind you that you and I can't lie to each other about our moods?"_

_Dawn pursed her lips. "You're enjoying getting back at me for all of the times I've said that to you." It wasn't a question._

"_Irrelevant information," Ash replied with a smirk before sobering. "What's wrong?"_

"_I don't know, it's just… this is really important to me, you know? I __**need**__ to beat her. I need to beat her really badly. I don't want to mess this up."_

_Dawn's companions gave each other significant glances before turning back to the coordinator._

"_Ok Dawn, first things first." Sam began. "Iris is a gym leader. As such, I've seen footage of some of her battles, and I say this with the weight of a professional evaluation- as long as you have your head in the game and don't use a really new pokemon, I'm not sure you're even capable of losing to her anymore. Iris may be good, but you are better, end of discussion. And if you doubt that for one second, I'll sic Tropius on you."_

_Dawn smiled through the reassurance and even managed a chuckle at the reminder of Sam's Tropius and his tendency to ruin Dawn's precious hairstyles whenever it used its Gust attack._

"_Now, as for me," Ash took over, "Dawn, I know you're gonna win this battle. I KNOW it. But there's one thing I know even better, and it's something you need to know too. I know you feel the need to beat Iris so badly for me, but Dawn, I fell in love with you for who you are, not just what you can do as a Pokemon trainer. I love how you are with your Pokemon, I love how you look at the world, at other people, how I feel when I'm around you. So, even if all of the legendary Pokemon conspire to hit your Pokemon at the exact wrong moment and you lose to Iris, I'll still think you're the best Pokemon trainer I know, I'll still love you, and I still won't be able to wait until I marry you."_

_Dawn's eyes were watering by the time Ash finished his speech. She felt the confidence radiating from her good friend. She felt the calm presence of her partner nodding his head from her shoulder, the small Penguin utterly certain of the battle to come. But most of all, she felt the presence of her fiancé's aura, matching exactly the burning look in those brown eyes searing her, both tools he used to fill her soul to the brim with his love for her. After a moment or two taking this all in, she blinked back her tears and nodded confidently._

"_Right. No need to worry!" And this time she actually meant it. In that moment, Dawn almost felt sorry for Iris._

_Almost._

**Flashback End**

Dawn remembered the look on Ash's face and beamed, those nerves beaten into submission once more.

"Thanks, Piplup! Now let's go out there and take her down!"

"_Oh Yeah!_

Head held high, Dawn marched out onto the field, taking in the cheering of the crowd around her for only a moment, before her gaze locked onto one person walking towards the center of the field to meet her. Her eyes narrowed as she stuck out her hand.

Iris clasped her hand back and the two shook firmly, only their eyes expressing their feelings toward one another, at least until Iris spoke.

"You're going down, little kid. I still owe you."

Dawn smiled maliciously. "And I still owe you, more than that slap could ever cover. But don't worry, you'll be getting all of that by the end of this battle."

"Hmph. We'll see."

And with that, the two women turned their backs on each other and retreated to their positions opposite each other.

"**Ladies and Gentlemen! This preliminary match up will be aspiring Pokemon Coordinator Dawn Berlitz of Twinleaf Town facing off against Iris, Gym leader of Opelucid City! Ms. Berlitz will be allowed the use of any Pokemon in her possession for this battle. Who will come out on top?"**

"Druddigon, come on out!" called Iris as she tossed her pokeball. The ball popped open and let out a white light, resolving itself in the form of scaly flying beast with multiple horns all along his body.

Dawn smiled, knowing precisely whom she wanted to use for this battle. She raised her own pokeball and gave it a toss.

"Salamence! Spotlight!"

Emerging for her pokeball was a massive blue, red, and white dragon, landing on the ground before raising his head and letting out a roar at his opponent, who snarled but didn't look too sure of itself. Iris blinked, clearly surprised to find herself facing a powerful Dragon-type.

"Battle begin!" called the ref.

"Druddigon, Dragon Rush!"

Druddigon immediately cloaked himself in a blue-green sheath of draconic energy and lunged for Salamence.

"Salamence, counter with Dragon Rage!"

Hearing his master's order, Salamence angled his head to point his mouth at the oncoming attack as a pulse of similar energy built up in his stomach moving through his body towards his mouth. In a split second the attack was ready and launched. The Dragon-head shaped energy met the charging beast halfway, causing a colossal explosion and tossing Druddigon back to his trainer to land in a heap, where he struggled to get back on his feet. Iris blinked before letting out a low growl of frustration. She knew quite well that Dragon Rush was a much more powerful attack than Dragon Rage. For Salamence to have overwhelmed Druddigon that badly with a Dragon Rush of his own he'd have to be twice as powerful. With an attack like Dragon Rage he'd need to be twice as powerful as that. She was getting toyed with.

Seeing the glare coming her way, Dawn smirked.

* * *

Sam sat in the stands, watching the battle between Druddigon and Salamence take shape with Pikachu on one leg and the bucket of popcorn the two were sharing on the other.

"Dang, Pikachu. I'd hate to be on the other side of a that-ticked-off Dawn. She's kicking Dragon-girl around like a soccer ball."

"Pika-Pika-Chu-Pika." Pikachu responded in agreement around another mouthful of popcorn. Sam may not have been able to understand pokemon the same way Dawn and Ash could, but he knew Pikachu well enough by now that something like a simple, "_No, really? Stop saying obvious things, just let me eat my popcorn and watch that overgrown lizard get his butt handed to him on a silver platter in peace"_ was easy enough for him to understand. Chuckling, Sam nodded once before wincing as he saw Druddigon take a vicious hit from his own deflected Dragon Pulse.

"Wow, I never knew Dawn had a Pokemon like that." Came a familiar voice from Sam's left, walking down the aisle towards him.

Chuckling, Sam turned to the speaker. "Well the history with that Salamence is kind of complicated, she was probably waiting to explain it to you. I'd wondered if you would be here Johanna."

Johanna Berlitz gave a soft smile to her old friend before taking the seat he offered on his left side. "What, you didn't think I'd come to watch my daughter compete?"

"No I knew you'd come for that, but the fact that you're here already for the preliminaries tells me that's not the only reason you're here. Not battling until tomorrow, I take it?"

Johanna started, shocked by the question. "W-What makes you think I'm battling?"

"Come now, Johanna, you and I both know how much you love coordinating. You gave it up because you had Dawn and had already reached all of the milestones there were in the coordinating world anyway. But now with this tournament there's a new one out there. Frankly, I'd be surprised if you weren't battling here. Considering that you came here today to watch Dawn battle instead of arriving with Ash's mom and Professor Oak tomorrow tells me that you won't be able to watch some of Dawn's battles because you'll be battling yourself. And considering your tie with Wallace in your last official battle it makes sense that you would have the same exemption from the preliminary rounds that the other champions do. Tell me, which part of what I'm saying is wrong?"

Johanna blushed and shook her head. "Should've known you'd catch on."

Sam chuckled lightly. "Well, I don't- ow! What the heck?!" Pikachu had smacked him on the forehead with his right paw and was now wagging his paw at him in a 'tsk-tsk' manner. Sam sat glaring incredulously at the mouse in his lap while Johanna laughed.

"And hello to you too, Pikachu!" Johanna greeted warmly.

"Ka Pika Cha." Pikachu responded with a smile and a nod.

"Oh come on! Her you greet happily, me you wag your finger at and tell me to shut up?"

"Pika." The mouse confirmed with a nod."

Sam threw his hands up in exasperation and started muttering under his breath.

"Blasted mouse. Ouch!" Sam jumped at the tiny electric sparks let off into his hands. Pikachu glared at the tactician for another moment before Sam huffed and put his hands up in the universal sign of surrender, sending Pikachu's attention back to the one-sided beating going on below.

Johanna giggled for a moment at the banter before sobering.

"How is he?"

Sam sighed before turning to her. "Seriously, Johanna, it's been two years. How long are you going to keep asking that?"

"Well seeing as I still don't know what happened to him-"

"Oh come on, Johanna! Even Delia doesn't know what happened!"

"Yes, and you know the toll that takes on her. She saw how Ash was after his friends betrayed him and it was nothing compared to whatever it was that happened to him in Kalos. Why are you so resistant to telling his mother about something so traumatic that happened to her son, especially given that she already does know something substantial about it?"

"Personally, I'm not. I've tried to convince him to tell her at least multiple times but I haven't managed to, and I won't go behind his back about something this- Hi Ash!" Sam cut himself off with a wave at the young raven-haired trainer who had appeared at the end of their row.

"Hey, Sam. How's it- Johanna! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing much, here to watch Dawn compete, you know."

"Does that mean-"

Johanna stopped him with a raised hand and smile. "Your mother and Professor Oak will still be arriving tomorrow, dear."

Ash shrugged. "Sounds good!"

"So how did your battle go, Ash? I take it pretty well since considering that you would have had yourself teleported here your battle couldn't have taken longer than 3 minutes. And what's Staraptor doing out of his Pokeball, anyway?"

Ash looked at the bird perched on his shoulder before turning back with a grin. "Just fulfilling a promise. Anyway, it was perfect! Everything went just like we predicted. Staraptor knocked out Magnezone super- fast with Heat Wave and Close Combat, then used Protect when he tried to sacrifice his Electrode. I figured Kingler deserved a chance at that point. He stopped Raichu's electric attacks with the old Metal Claw in the ground technique, and demolished him when he tried to get in close. So what's been happening here?"

Sam laughed. "Well, Dawn's decided to do some playing with her food before she eats it. Honestly, that poor Druddigon isn't gonna have any pride left by the time this battle's done."

Ash chuckled, and settled into watch the match.

* * *

Blinking away the smoke from yet another intercepted Dragon Rage, Dawn inclined her head in the direction of the stands for a moment before smiling, as though something she had been waiting for had finally come.

"Alright, Salamence, it's time to wrap this up. Full power Dragon Rush, now!"

With a loud howl of his name, the Hoenn pseudo-legendary cloaked itself in the aura of his signature type and leaped into the air, speeding towards his, for want of a better term, opponent. Druddigon made a half-hearted attempt to dodge, but he was far too worn out from getting kicked around. Salamence slammed into Druddigon, the super-effective attack crushing the cave dwelling dragon hard into the ground. He did not get up again.

"Druddigon is unable to battle! The winner is Salamence!"

"**And with that last Dragon Rush, Druddigon is defeated! What Pokemon will Iris call upon next to take on this powerful Salamence?"**

"Druddigon return," Iris called, the red beam sucking the beaten beast back into the pokeball. "You battled hard. Thanks. Now, Haxorus, let's go!"

The Pokeball burst open and let out a large, clearly reptilian beast. At 7 feet tall, The Olive and Black skinned Pokemon would've been automatically identifiable without prior knowledge as a dragon-type were it not for the lack of wings.

"**And Iris sends out her Haxorus! Will he fare any better against Salamence than Druddigon?**"

"You bet he will!" shouted Iris. "Haxorus, Dragon Rage!"

"Hax-o-Rus!" The dragon built up the blue-green energy in his gut before launching the dragon-head at his opponent.

"Flamethrower, follow it up with Draco Meteor!" Dawn responded.

Salamence released a torrent of flames from his mouth, catching the incoming dragon head and creating a large explosion where the attacks met. Obscured by smoke, a red glow began building, starting in the depths of the blue dragon's belly and working its way up to his mouth. Iris finally managed to see through the thinning smoke from the collision of attacks, and went into full-on panic mode when she realized what was happening.

"Haxorus! Stop it quickly! Use Dragon Claw!" Iris shouted desperately.

Haxorus spread his claws, which took on the classic blue-green tint of draconic energy associated with most Dragon-type moves, and charged Salamence. It was a credit to Haxorus that it managed to reach Salamence and slash it viciously before Draco Meteor could finish building. It was a credit to Salamence that his only reaction was simply to look at Haxorus like one might look at a baby that accidently bopped him on the head.

"Let 'er rip!"

* * *

"'Let 'er rip?' Since when does Dawn talk like that?" asked Johanna?

Sam found something fascinating regarding his fingernails at that point.

* * *

Salamence threw his head back and belched a red ball of energy high into the sky. Once it reached a certain altitude the ball broke up into dozens of smaller red projectiles screaming towards the ground. Not needing Iris's frantic order, Haxorus dodged this way and that, trying to miss them. He managed to dodge a couple, but for every near-miss, at least three more found their mark. By the time the smoke cleared, Haxorus lay insensate on the ground, his eyes swirly and unfocused.

"Haxorus is unable to battle! Salamence wins!"

"**What a battle ladies and gentlemen! As opposed to its long confrontation with Druddigon, Salamence knocks Haxorus out with just two attacks, one used as a deflection! What power! Now, down to just 1 Pokemon, what will Iris do to match the level of power Dawn has thrown her way?"**

Recalling Haxorus with another word of thanks, Iris growled, angered with how easily she was apparently being played with, before pulling out the Pokeball containing her last, best hope.

"Dragonite, come on out!"

The white light from the pokeball resolved itself into a yellow and white textbook definition of a dragon, who took to the field with a loud growl.

Dawn removed a pokeball from her belt and pointed it at Salamence. "Thanks Salamence. You did great. But this battle belongs to someone else. Return." The red beam sucked Salamence back in on command. Dawn clipped Salamence's Pokeball back to her belt and removed another.

"Mamoswine! Spotlight!"

The Pokeball popped open, spewing forth the bright white light, resolving itself into a furry mammoth with long tusks. Spotting her opponent, Mamoswine let out a happy cry.

"_Alright! It's payback time!"_

"_You wish, fur ball. I'm taking you down as hard as last time."_

"_We'll see, brute-for-brains, we'll see."_

Raising an eyebrow at Mamoswine's terminology, particularly in light of his own battling attitude from time to time, Dawn decided to get this party started.

"Mamoswine, use Ice Shard!"

With a bellow of his name, Mamoswine formed a large ball of ice in his mouth and spat it towards Dragonite at fantastic velocity. Iris, sensing the danger of the incoming attack, reacted quickly.

"Flamethrower, Dragonite!"

A stream of fire poured out towards the oncoming attack. It said a lot about Mamoswine's power that despite the fact that it was a ball of ice against a stream of fire, the attacks canceled out in a bloom of smoke and steam.

"Flamethrower again!" Iris called, and Dragonite hearing her order, spat another volley at the place Mamoswine had been standing before the explosion had blocked him from view. Iris was hoping the cacophony of the explosion would keep Dawn from hearing her order and devising a counter, just as Dawn had used against her earlier when charging Draco Meteor.

She got her wish, but not quite the way she wanted. Dawn actually did hear her order, the already dissipating noise not enough to overpower the training she had received from Sam about how to listen well so that she would not be caught off guard. That being said, Dawn chose not to counter, a different strategy in mind. As the smoke cleared, Iris watched the flamethrower make a direct hit and cheered as the furry beast was engulfed in flames.

"Way to go, Dragonite! Great- what?!" Iris cut herself off as the flames dissipated, leaving Mamoswine standing there looking slightly singed at the worst.

"Mamoswine, Ice Beam!" called a smirking Dawn.

Mamoswine quickly channeled his ice elemental energy from all around his body into his mouth before focusing it into a stream which sped straight for Dragonite. Dragon and master were both too stunned with how easily their attack had been shirked off to react fast enough, just as Dawn had been hoping. The icy energy beam sledgehammered Dragonite, sending him crashing down to the ground in a great deal of pain from the 4x effective attack.

"**And Mamoswine shrugs off that flamethrower to reply with a lightning-fast Ice Beam, which seems to have done some REAL damage!"**

"But how!? Mamoswine is supposed to be really vulnerable to fire attacks!" gasped a shocked Iris.

"First of all Mamoswine has incredible defensive strength to compensate for his lower speed," explained a pleased Dawn. "Second, Mamoswine is an ice type, but he's also a ground type, which dilutes the super-effectiveness of fire type moves. You do the math."

Iris growled under her breath before turning to her struggling Pokemon. "Come on, Dragonite, get up! We can't lose like this!"

Dragonite heard his master's pleas and fought his way to his feet, winded but ready to fight.

"Alright, Dragonite! Let's beat them just like last time! Use Dragon Rush!" Dragonite cloaked himself in the draconic aura and surged forward.

"Mamoswine, use Ice armor followed with Ice fang to meet it!"

Mamoswine formed another Ice Shard in his mouth, but instead of launching it forward like usual, he pulled it further back into his mouth, swallowing it whole. As the shard went down Mamoswine's throat, it dissolved into the elemental energy used to form it, which spread throughout Mamoswine's body, engulfing the mammoth beast's furry exterior in ice. Mamoswine then channeled more elemental energy into his tusks, setting them aglow with a light blue aura, and charged straight towards the oncoming Dragon.

Dragon met pig in a furious crash. The two struggled for a moment, but Dragon Rush managed, with not inconsiderable effort, to overpower the Ice Fang, simply being a far more powerful attack.

Which would've amounted to a large problem for Dawn had it not been precisely what she had intended.

Dragonite's Dragon Rush continued on, weakened but not stopping, to strike the ice pig. The burst of energy from the attack was channeled into Mamoswine's body- or rather the ice now covering it. The ice armor shattered, scattering tiny ice crystals in every direction, but the armor had diffused the last of the energy from the blow, leaving Dragonite hovering, expecting to find his opponent either flying back or at least in agony, but instead seeing a smirking pig sitting not two inches in front of his face.

"Blizzard!" called Dawn triumphantly.

Mamoswine opened his mouth and expelled a massive stream of icy energy, coming out visually in the form of a gusting mini-snowstorm. Dragonite took the attack right in the chest, propelled back in the air at least 15 feet to hit the ground in a heap of dust.

"**Incredible! It seems Dawn found a way to create a protective armor of ice around Mamoswine, and purposefully used a weaker attack to simply dissipate some of the energy from Dragon Rush so the armor could take care of the rest, leaving Dragonite wide open for a Blizzard attack at point blank range! Will Dragonite be able to come back from this?"**

The answer in the end was no.

The dust cloud from the impact parted to reveal Dragonite, lying on the ground with the signature unfocused swirls in his eyes signaling a defeat.

"Dragonite is unable to battle. Mamoswine wins!"

"**And there you have it, folks! Iris has been defeated by Dawn without Dawn losing a single Pokemon, or even using the last one! What a battle!"**

The cheers exploded from the crowd, none louder than from three people and one yellow mouse high in the stands.

Dawn recalled Mamoswine with some whispered words of profuse thanks while Iris fell to her knees. The two women looked each other right in the eyes for just a moment before Dawn turned and marched out of the stadium.

* * *

Brock looked at his friends sitting with him in a booth at the Pokemon Center, none of them quite focused on the conversation of meaningless words they were having. Brock had met up with them following his own battle just as Dawn had reached the ones who'd been watching, and he'd seen the way Ash swept Dawn into his arms and whirled her around. Now Ash's eyes never strayed far from Dawn, the love he felt for her plainly visible. He had been so thankful to her for fighting the battle they had told Brock about, for beating so badly on a person for having hurt him. Brock knew it meant a lot to Ash.

Dawn had been quiet since the revelation that her mother was competing in the tournament. Brock knew that Johanna was the standard by which Dawn measured herself, that her dream had always been to become an even better coordinator than her renowned mother. But somehow, that never really equated to having to beat her, their contest in Sinnoh notwithstanding as they both knew Johanna hadn't really given that battle everything she had. Brock could only imagine what this must be like for her. Many people had idols like that, and the thought of competing against them was intimidating. How much more so must that be when this wasn't just someone off the TV, but actually your own mother?

Johanna, though was a little more mysterious. Johanna kept sending these odd covert looks at Ash of all people, as though she was wondering something. And even stranger still, it was Sam of all people who was looking at her as though he knew why and was concerned. Brock was wondering just what that was about, at least until-

"Cynthia! Mr. Goodshow! It's great to see you!" said Ash, standing up to greet the two famous figures.

"You too, Ash!" replied the head of the Pokemon League with his customary grandfather smile. "It's been several months. How have you been?"

As he, along with the others got up to offer their own greetings to the esteemed figures, Brock held in his surprise at the mention of Ash having met Mr. Goodshow recently. He wondered where that might have happened.

"I've been fantastic, Mr. Goodshow."

"Really Ash? Fantastic, you say? Any particular reason, possibly relating to that beautiful girl by your side?"

Dawn blushed at the compliment as Ash and the others chuckled.

"Actually, Mr. Goodshow," Dawn started, but seemed unable to finish, so she just raised her hand, showing off her ring finger. Both Brock and Sam were caught off guard by the girly squeal of excitement from the normally reserved Sinnoh champion.

"Oh, Dawn! He finally proposed! That's just fantastic!" exclaimed Cynthia before she and Dawn began gushing over the ring. The men in the group chuckled before Ash opened his mouth to say something else. Things happened very quickly at that point.

Ash paused, his smile vanishing from his face as his eyes narrowed. A loud cry of "Pikapi!" came from the yellow mouse at that moment.

"Down!" Ash yelled, jumping on top of Mr. Goodshow and forcing him onto the floor.

Brock felt someone's hands on his back forcing him to the ground. A flash of yellow caught the corner of his eye, before a resounding BOOM echoed through the air above him.

**And that's a wrap! Reviews and/or PMs are welcome and encouraged. Constructive criticism is welcome. Flames go to Charizard.**


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